


Pudding.

by literatiruinedme



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Apologies, Betty feeds Jughead, Blink and you’ll miss Veronica and Cheryl, F/M, Fluff, Post-Time Skip, Reconciliation, a short anthology of moments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:48:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29943339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/literatiruinedme/pseuds/literatiruinedme
Summary: The one beacon of light left in the hellscape of nostalgia he had implanted himself into had been having access to the school lunchroom whenever he wanted.Or Betty and Jughead deserve a snack from the finer side of the school cafeteria.
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 11
Kudos: 58





	Pudding.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [iconicbeanie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iconicbeanie/gifts).



> no mood board this time, but [here's a pretty picture with The Vibes™ if you want her](https://riverdale.homeofthenutty.com/displayimage.php?album=80&pid=108531#top_display_media)

There had been a lot of jobs that Jughead had positively hated, but had done because money was money and he didn’t have the energy to find something else; teaching at Riverdale High was number one on the list.

Aside from the knowing smirks of older faculty he had spent four years trying to avoid, the constant commotion from class to class, and the godawful essays he had to read (with the exception of  _ maybe _ four papers per assignment from Betty-like students), the constant annoyances had finally gotten to him. While Jughead no longer had to avoid sports persons that were game to slam him into a locker in passing just because it was fun, wandering around the minefield of students had him genuinely considering being late to every single class he had. 

The one beacon of light left in the hellscape of nostalgia he had implanted himself into had been having access to the school lunchroom whenever he wanted. Every morning before the infestation of students came crawling in, he would wander into the kitchen, doing his best to sweet talk the lunch ladies while he raided the fridge for a sandwich that was halfway decent, fruit cups, or the holy grail: pudding cups.

Most mornings, he would sneak up one of the stairwells, take a seat at the top flight, just out of reach of those passing to and fro, and spend a few minutes to himself with his head on the window as he ate. His favourite spot had a beautiful view of town and he could never pass up five minutes of soaking in the sun before making himself hike back down to the classroom he had been calling home for nearly a month.

However, the first Tuesday of October had brought strife his way.

“There isn’t even one?” he whined, feeling like he was seventeen again, begging his favourite lunch lady for a packet of pudding.

Delores sighed, shaking her head as she set a large pot on the stove. “Shipment comes on Monday morning.”

“But-“ He swallowed when she glared back at him over her shoulder. “Please, you didn’t hide any? I’ll replace it, I swear-"

“Shipment comes on Monday morning,” she echoed, just as unfeeling and indifferent as she had been before. 

Jughead smiled weakly, giving it one last try. “And if I just  _ happened _ to stumble upon-"

With a heavy sigh, Delores pointed her wooden spoon at him, eyes narrowed. “Monday morning.”

“Okay,” he said softly. His shoulders sank as he nodded, finally accepting the fact that he would have to settle for anything else. “Do you have something I could take? Please, I’m just really hungry.”

“When have you not been hungry?” she asked, her voice cold as she pulled a nearly empty fridge open, revealing a rather sad-looking pile of turkey and cheese sandwiches.

Knowing he was beaten, Jughead let out a tired smile as he reached into the fridge, grabbing a plastic wrapped sandwich before offering Delores his most charming smile. “Thank you.” 

“Get out of my kitchen.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Jughead grabbed a carton of orange juice before taking it and his sandwich as he sped out of the kitchen. He felt his face drop as soon as he rounded the corner, letting his eyes rest on the floor as he wandered to his classroom like a zombie. Without much care for his belongings, he dropped his bag inside, walking off with his stupid morning snack in search of his windowsill. As he wandered his usual route, too busy in his own self-pity to pay attention to the world around him, Jughead nearly slammed into Betty when he passed her classroom. He narrowly avoided her, not bothering with small talk when she didn’t say anything first.

The stack of papers in her hand when he glanced back made him sigh; he would be spending all day listening to the whirring complaints of her students as he did every other day she gave a pop quiz. He never meant to eavesdrop, but her students were incessant in their complaints.

In their defence, he would have hated her quizzes as well at seventeen- even if he was certain she would have had his respect for being the only person who wasn’t just working to cash a paycheck.

In Betty’s defence, giving a pop quiz had a strange sense of schadenfreude that he would never admit to, but it made the annoying comments from students a little easier to tolerate.

Betty offered him a small smile, but being as he was too cranky to fake happiness, he just avoided her gaze, knowing she would be able to read his expression as easily as an open book- he always was to her, after all.

Instead, Jughead tracked on, already exhausted with the week. He continued without a word, dragging himself up the stairs to his windowsill before sitting down to eat.

After finishing his sandwich, he sipped on his orange juice, temple pressed against the glass; Jughead let himself wallow in his misery and accepted that he was just not going to have a good day. 

* * *

On Wednesday morning, Jughead sighed, threading his fingers through his hair as he tried to get through just one more paragraph of the awful,  _ awful _ essay he was reading without his morning snack. After the day prior, he had taken to avoiding the lunchroom until Monday morning, not in the mood to fall on his charm for small talk when he would not be getting anything in return. 

He tugged at his wild hair, still not truly free from the anxiety he felt after throwing his beanie into the time capsule all those years ago.

In hindsight, he was glad to have gotten rid of it.

Betty had made it and, while he had loved it more than his original one, after her confession following closing the time capsule, he never would have been able to look at it or wear it without thinking about her and Archie and their-

Jughead paused, dropping his pen before resting his palms on the edge of the table as he pressed his forehead against the pile of ungraded papers. 

Overall, he had been okay before coming back to Riverdale. He hadn’t thought about the people who had hurt him, nor the things that had happened around him in his troubled youth; he finally had made the effort to move on, and he was proud of himself, even if other aspects of his life had taken a turn. 

A pair of heels trailed in his direction down the hallway, cutting through the early morning quiet. 

He recognized the pace, but pretended he didn’t, hoping against all odds that she would just turn and walk by his classroom. 

Instead, she stopped at the door. After a moment of silence, she entered the room, setting something on the edge of his desk before walking off without another word. 

When he could no longer hear her retreating footsteps, he opened his eyes, glancing over his arm at-  _ a snack pack _ ? He raised off of the desk, grabbing the cup before he realized it was pudding from the cafeteria.

On the plain white plastic lining the top, Betty had scrawled out a few words.

_ Delores said tater tots tomorrow. _

Jughead couldn't help but smile at the writing before he tore the container open.

* * *

After that, Jughead had found a chocolate pudding cup once a day, every day, without fail. 

The second time, he found one on his desk upon entering his classroom that morning.

The fifth had been a gift left behind for him when he and Betty had nearly bumped into one another passing through the doorway of the teachers’ lounge. He hadn't smiled at her, but if his whole body had relaxed at her presence and if she had noticed, he wouldn't have been able to stop her. A smile had found its way to his face when he noticed the pudding sitting on the table by the door while he waited aimlessly for his coffee to brew.

He lost track as the days trailed on; the jack-o'-lantern drawing on top made him laugh when he found it in the fridge on Halloween, a drawing of rosemary christened the top the day before Thanksgiving break when he found it shoved in his mailbox down in the office.

Before Christmas break, he found a case in the back of his car. While breaking and entering was a crime, Jughead had just sighed, ignoring his smile while he rubbed his tired eyes before heading home. 

His mouth had dropped when he opened the box, each pudding inscribed with a different phrase pertaining to Betty's favourite holiday.

On the first day back of the new year, Jughead had gotten in early, almost excited to start a new topic while he dragged his white chalk along the smooth slate of the blackboard. He was anxiously chewing on his thumb as he glanced down at his notes, confirming he had written out the proper phrasing when he noticed Betty walking down the hall by the clicking of her heels. Her knocking on the door dragged his attention away from what was currently making him anxious. 

She smiled before walking over to stand beside him, mindful of how close they were to one another; she glanced at the board, reading the title of the book his class had been assigned (since before Thanksgiving break, he wasn't a monster) before humming to herself.

“What?”

“I just never expected you to be the one to get in before me.” When his brows furrowed, she showed him her phone screen, noting the early time with a tap of her index finger. 

He nodded, looking away when he noticed the background of her phone; a picture she had taken at seventeen when she had promised him extra time on his knees if he had gone for a  _ short _ hike with her. The mosquito bites and the burning of his calves had been worth the agonizing hour and a half after they had showered off together in the bathroom connected to their shared bedroom. As his gaze fell to the floor, the wind suddenly knocked out of him, he turned back to his notes, pretending he could focus on his scratchy writing. 

“Sorry, no more white lids-” Betty held a pudding cup, this one garnering a red top with writing on it. “I've been taking too many puddings, apparently,” she scoffed, offended. 

Jughead took the small cup, careful not to touch her, even if he wanted nothing more. “Twenty-four in one go isn't bad.”

“It was my last job,” she teased, strolling around him to take a seat on his desk. “It's okay, they're cheap at wholesale stores.” Before glancing at the board, she waved him off.

Jughead sighed, setting down his chalk before walking over to her. “You don't have to buy me pudding.”

She shrugged, picking at her cuticles while he dropped his papers on the desk, behind her. 

“Betty.”

“I like to. And it's my money, you can't tell me what to do with it.”

A chuckle escaped him, pulling her gaze upward. He felt himself soften as she stared up at him, vulnerability present in her eyes. Before speaking again, he cleared his throat. “You're still you.”

Her brows furrowed.

He sighed, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear; she still looked so beautiful it was hard to breathe. “The you that I fell in love with is always there.”

She relaxed at his words, reaching up to cover his hand with her own before continuing, “You know me.”

He hummed, twisting their hands until his fingers were threaded through hers. “I do.”

She hummed, looking down at her lap. After a moment of quiet, she met his gaze again. “I missed you.”

“Every day of my life.” He sighed, closing his eyes. Before he could open his eyes once more, the soft skin of Betty's free hand traced along his cheek, making his shoulders relax. 

He felt like he was eighteen again.

Without thinking, he attempted to step back, pausing when Betty moved to cup the back of his neck, holding him steady.

“Hey,” she whispered. Her grasp was tight enough to hold him how he used to allow himself to crave, but still loose enough that he could pull away if he were really uncomfortable. “I have you.”

He swallowed thickly, his eyes burning with unshed tears. “But-”

“I know I let you down before,” she interrupted. The hand cupping his neck slid to his cheek, allowing her to play with the ends of his hair as they fell over his temple, easily pacifying him. “If you'll have me, I don't ever intend to again.”

He blinked, taking a step back as he tried to process the situation he was in.

After a moment of quiet, she tried again. “I was stupid,” she said evenly. “I-” A heavy sigh escaped her. “I know it's stupid to say that I never meant to hurt you-”

Jughead watched as she fumbled for her words, barely holding himself up as he waited, silent thanks to the lump in his throat. 

“I was stupid and I hurt you and you didn't deserve it and I'm going to spend the rest of my life apologizing-” She took in a deep breath before her shoulders relaxed. “But I miss you. Every day.”

He felt himself smile softly. 

“I never stopped loving you.”

Jughead glanced down at the floor, his fingers deep in his pockets as he took in a shaky breath. The sound of Betty's heels finally touching the ground made him relax.

She took a step closer, invading his personal space once more as she rested one hand on his hip and the other on his shoulder. Her heels brought her closer to his height.

Without a word, he looked down at her, waiting for her to speak again. To his surprise, he felt himself leaning down.

Betty smiled softly, her lips a breath from his own before she spoke again. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Before he could take another breath, Betty's lips were on his, her hands pulling him closer as his own finally settled on her waist. 

Jughead smiled as the old feeling of fireworks he only felt with her came rushing back, making him pull her closer and closer-

“Yes!”

Jughead and Betty broke apart at the sudden shout, glancing into the hallway where Veronica and Cheryl were high-fiving. 

As Betty giggled, resting her forehead on his shoulder, Jughead let out a breath as he beamed at the ground behind them, her body flush with his as they soaked in the moment.

For the first time in seven years, he felt alright. 

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi to me on [tumblr](http://literatiruinedme.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
